A Glimpse of The Museo Sugbo w/ the Pre-Colonial Gallery

                "Unleashing the Antiquity of the Prominent  Fort San Pedro"

 

 

   - Welcome to the Fort San Pedro.

The Fort San Pedro is one of the famous tourist destination here in Cebu City. It is the oldest and smallest fort of the Philippines. At first it was built for a purpose which is to repel sieges by hostile natives and pirates. The construction of the Fort San Pedro takes 200 years before it has finished in the year 1738 which was made by the Spaniards. The fort began as a single triangular bastion made of bricks and mud in 1565, with Spanish conquistador Miguel Lopez de Legazpi breaking the ground for structure, naming it for his flagship on which he sailed in the Pacific Ocean in that same year. Later on, it served different purposes at various time in the island's history, first is from the year 1896 to 1898 it serves as a prison for local rebels during the Philippine revolution from the American Warwick Barracks during the American Regime. Second from the 1937 to 1941 it serves as the classrooms of the Cebuanos where they received the formal education. Third it serves as a prison camp and fortification for Japanese soldiers during the World War two from 1941 to 1945 and a hospital in the year 1946 to 1950 when the battle for liberation was fought and become an army camp.The victory of the Americans led by Commodore Dewey at the Battle of Manila Bay in 1898 marked the end of the Spanish era in the Philippine Islands. The fort was then surrendered by the Spaniards to the Cebuano revolutionaries.

The fortress is triangular fit as a fiddle, with two sides confronting the ocean and the third side fronting the land. The two sides confronting the ocean were safeguarded with ordnance and the front with a solid palisade made of wood. The three bastions were named La Concepción; Ignacio de Loyola, and San Miguel. It has an aggregate inside zone of 2,025 square meters (21,800 sq ft). The dividers are 20 feet (6.1 m) high, 8 feet (2.4 m) thick and the towers are 30 feet (9.1 m) high starting from the earliest stage. The outline is 1,248 feet (380 m). The sides are of unequal lengths and the one fronting the city is the place one may discover passage into the Fort. Fourteen guns were mounted in their emplacements a large portion of which are still there today. Work initially began on May 8, 1565 with Miguel Lopéz de Legazpi getting things started.

- This is the actual look of The Fort San Pedro and this is the main entrance for the visitors who want to explore the beauty of the fort. As you can see in the upper part of the fort we can see an image of Snr. Santo. Maybe this is because Snr. Sto.Nino is the main patron of Cebu City. And obviously the fort belongs to the queen city of the south which is particularly the Cebu City.

                 - Cebu is the main Spanish settlement and the most seasoned city in the Philippines, so it is for sure rich in culture and history. Among the numerous chronicled points of interest the city brings to the table, Fort San Pedro is one fascination that ought not be missed for its hugeness and incentive to the general population of Cebu all through the ages. This is best appeared in its exhibition hall, where a considerable measure of antiquities from the Spanish period up to the present are saved and appeared to people in general. Inside the fortress are housed the inheritances of the Spanish Government, which incorporate very much saved Spanish ancient rarities, for example, Spanish archives, artistic creations and model. Also this wall show us the people and happenings that has a remarkable contribution towards the founding of Cebu City.

The wall is all about the past of the Fort San Pedro wherein those pictures are from the first look of the structure wherein it is made of mud and bricks by that time. Based on the looks of the pictures shown in the wall we can say that those pictures are so old because of it's black and white background. Also this wall shows the evolution of the structure of The Fort San Pedro which is from  a structure that is made of mud only wherein now it is fully-developed and new.

- This is the old Fort San Pedro wherein as you can see it is just made of mud and  bricks.

These days, part of the fort is a museum. Inside the fort are housed the legacies of the Spanish Government, which include well preserved Spanish artifacts such as Spanish documents, paintings and sculpture.  A large statue of Legazpi and Antonio Pigafetta may be seen outside the fort walls. And one of those place inside the fort that serves as a mini museum is namely the gallery. The gallery is a place wherein you can see different historical paintings and remains of the late Spaniards. The pictures below are just some of the paintings and artifacts inside the gallery.

            - This painting portrays the battle between Lapu-Lapu and Magellan and their soldiers.

                       -Blood compact is well known in the Philippines as a Sanduguan wherein it was an antiquated custom in the Philippines expected to seal a companionship or arrangement, or to approve an assertion. The contracting gatherings would cut their wrists and empty their blood into a container loaded with fluid, for example, wine, and drink the mixture.A well known case of the blood compact was the 1565 Sanduguan between Spanish wayfarer Miguel López de Legazpi and Datu Sikatuna, the chieftain of Bohol. Another blood compact case was contracted between Portuguese adventurer Ferdinand Magellan and Rajah Humabon of Cebu.

                        Same as the first painting this painting also portrays the war between the Spaniards and the Cebuanos. It can be the Battle of Mactan that was fought in the Philippines on 27 April 1521, prior to Spanish colonization. The warriors of Lapu-Lapu, a native chieftain of Mactan Island, overpowered and defeated a Spanish force fighting for Rajah Humabon of Cebu, under the command of Ferdinand Magellan, who was killed in the battle.

                  - This artifact is what we called Vestidor. This clothing was used by those warriors during the colonization of the Spaniards.

                         - This is the Spanish Flag wherein it was brought by the Spaniards here in the Philippines during the Spanish colonization.

                - Inside the Fort San Pedro we cannot only discover the history behind so many important things that has something to do with the Fort but however we can also sit, relax and enjoy the view of the place if we are deadly tired exploring the whole place.

 Indeed it was a remarkable exploration that brings new discoveries and full of the things that brings new knowledge in the world of history. And in the present the Fort San Pedro is under the care and administration of the City of Cebu, as historical park. The land on which it is situated is, however, owned by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. One must see Fort San Pedro Museum wherein it is located particularly in Cebu to personally experience the history of the city and the country as well.

  

So I hope I did help you in the most possible ways even if it is just a little learning that you get from my blog. Anyway if you are interested to go to the famous Fort San Pedro you can now book a ticket here in Cebu because right now it is so easy to travel either with the use of private or public transportation. Anyway if you like the content of my blog kindly follow me on my instagram account as AinashCollins  that you will be able to know my updates regarding the dates of when I will post my upcoming blogs.